Kal Wardin
Captain Kal Wardin was a marine hero who retired before the the first game. After Xenos attack Earth and its colonies, Kal is forced back into active duty with N.O.V.A. He is the main protagonist of N.O.V.A, N.O.V.A 2 and N.O.V.A 3. Kal is an old friend of Rufus, and by N.O.V.A. 3 he is revealed to have romantic feelings for Yelena. N.O.V.A. Kal Wardin was always known as a good soldier for the Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance, even from the time he was in boot camp. But nobody knew just how good a soldier he was until the War of Judgment. Wardin’s legend would begin at that frightful time in history when a Colonial Administration spaceship unexpectedly returned from a mission. The vessel was locked on a direct course for Earth and ignored all attempts at communication. Unsure what fate befell the crew, N.O.V.A. command decided to expect the worst. Recreational Colony At the time, Wardin was retired and living a quiet life in a recreational colony New Ceres. But, as his services were needed by N.O.V.A. once more. While enjoying a drink, Kal Wardin was approached by Bonesy and Clydesdale. They forcibly returned him to N.O.V.A service by order of Governor Lysenko to help repel the Xeno invasion. Yelena, a computer AI, helped Kal adjust to his Mobile Armored Suit by making him pan around and walk. She then led him to a N.O.V.A. Shuttle. When Kal arrived at the helipad, a few Grunts came out of portals and attacked Kal. After he killed them he got in the Shuttle and flew to the wrecked Colonial Pride. Colonial Pride He went through the ship, looking for survivors but pretty much all of them were killed before his eyes by Xenos. General Korolev then tells him that N.O.V.A. had seen enough and for him to go to the Computer Security Deck and to set the ship to self-destruct. He travelled to a computer room, where he recieved the self destruct codes for the ship. Then, during his mission, he was contacted by Prometheus, a computer AI that gained sentience through a quantum viral accident. He revealed that all is not what it seemed, and not to trust Colonial Administration. Then a few fuel tanks exploded. Kal had to go into the vaccum of space to go from place to place on the ship. He used storage compartments along the way to restore the oxygen supply in his suit. One contained an armory under it which Kal used to refuel his ammunition. But he had to take a detour through Warehouse B, where he heard a distress signal from a marine. Then Yelena told him that the thrusters are on turbocharge mode and they would reach New Ceres before Kal got to the Self Destruct computer, so he went to the room with the auxiliary drives. Yelena uploaded a virus that shut the engines down but Kal had to stay and guard them to make sure no one else turned them back on. Wave after wave of Xenos came to kill him. He then resumed his journey to the Computer Security Deck, where the self-destruct sequence could be activated. Yelena told him to evacuate after he turned on the self destruct sequence, but Prometheus told him to go to the Navigation Room and fix the evacuation system so the other marines still on the ship could escape. After he doid this he got in a N.O.V.A. Shuttle and flew off. New Ceres Outer Jungle Kal Wardin then landed the escape shuttle on New Ceres, in the outer jungle, and fought his way through attacking Xenos to nearby N.O.V.A. forces who'd set up a temporary area to hold out against the Xenos, with a satellite and a few crates of supplies, including ammunition. The leader of the group directed Kal to the Epsilon Bunker, which hadn't been used since "Rebellion Times". Soon after departing, he came across a large Xeno Portal on a helipad outside an old base, through which Xeno troops arrived. A N.O.V.A. shuttle pilot then contacted him, asking Kal to destroy the Power Crystals that powered the portal so that he could land the shuttle on the helipad it occupied. In exchange, the pilot offered to clear debris that was preventing Kal from advancing further. Kal did as asked, and the pilot made good his word, destroying the debris. Kal then fought through countless more Xenos, and soon recieved a distress call from Bravo Lead requesting assistance for Bravo squad to hold the perimeter outside Bunker One (the Epsilon Bunker). Yelena asked Kal to proceed to the bunker immediately, and he did so. Shortly before reaching the bunker, Prometheus contacted Kal, informing him that, after accessing the military database, he found out that records indicated a second cargo ship flew with the Colonial Pride before Kal was sent there, yet there was no information on what happened to it. Epsilon Bunker By the time Kal arrived, the area outside the bunker was overrun by Xeno hostiles. He neutralized those attacking him, then made for the bunker entrance. There, a Bravo Squad member informed Kal that they had been pushed back to "square one", and asked him to grab the nearby machine gun turret to defend the position while they hacked the door circuits to retreat inside. Presumably the base was in lockdown, either due to N.O.V.A. procedure or Xeno sabotage. The position was successfuly held regardless, and they retreated inside. Despite this, Fiends breached the entrance and were shot down by an anonymous marine who told Kal he was expected and sent him on his way. A second marine in the following room directed Kal to Command HQ in the lower levels of the base, and within seconds the main power generator was shut down by Xeno saboteurs. The marine then directed Kal to "grab Bonesy and Clydesdale for backup" in the lower level and restart the generator. Once down there, Kal was given a less than friendly welcome by the two, with Bonesy mocking his return to N.O.V.A. and Clydesdale expressing mistrust. The two were shortly killed by Fiends in a Xeno ambush. Kal then made his way to the generator. In the main generator room, he deactivated a large portal through which Xeno troops came, like the one on the helipad in the outer jungle, by destroying its Power Crystals. The main generator couldn't be restarted, so Kal continued through the bunker until he met two other marines who directed him to an elevator to the backup generator. While on the elevator, a handful of Fiends came through a portal in a failed ambush attempt. After navigating his way through the debris from a crashed N.O.V.A. shuttle in the next room, Kal then proceeded through a corridor to a large Xeno-controlled room. There, he eliminated the Xenos he could, took a machine gun turret from a drone he killed and defended the area, then neutralized remaining hostiles on foot. He soon reached the backup generator, killed drones defending the room and activated it. He was then congratulated by a N.O.V.A. marine via helmet communications and ordered to take the elevator to Command HQ to recieve a mission from General Korolev. Kal reported to Korolev as ordered, however not face-to-face. They spoke with 2 N.O.V.A. guards preventing Kal from getting near and Korolev sat in a chair facing a computer screen away from Kal. Korolev ordered Kal to prevent the Xenos from launching the bunker's nuclear warhead they'd secured by hacking its systems. Kal then entered the rocket chamber, neutralized attacking Xenos and took an elevator up to rocket control, where Yelena informed him the missile was armed and ready to launch. Kal then hacked the control computer and averted the launch. Behind him, the Alien Abomination rose on an elevator to the control level. It then attacked him, but thanks to Yelena's advice Kal killed it by disabling its legs and shooting its brain. Kal then took the elevator back to the surface, where Yelena had arranged for a 4x4 to meet him and drive him from the bunker and out of the forest to a helipad where a N.O.V.A. shuttle was waiting for him. New Ceres Mining Facility Kal crash landed the N.O.V.A. shuttle in a New Ceres N.O.V.A. mining facility in order to investigate it. Almost immediately after exiting the landing site, he was attacked by a sniper, who Kal in return shot with a sniper rifle of his own, killing the hostile. Kal then proceeded, but the door he wished to go through was locked, so Yelena directed him to a nearby control console. Yelena commented that "security got tight since she last checked the place". Upon closer ins pection, Yelena commented that while the occupants of the facility were human marines, they were controlled by Xenobiotic Parasites on their chests. The Xenos needed reinforcements for their invasion, so used human host bodies. Yelena ordered Kal to consider them hostiles and kill on sight. Kal complied, and then activated the control console, unlocking the door. Yelena was curious to find out why the Xenos took the mining facility, and the pair soon found out - a portal was placed at the end of the ore cart transport system, sending minerals to where the Xenos came from to support their invasion. Yelena claimed that if the facility was lost to the Xenos, humanity wouldn't survive further Xeno attacks, and ordered Kal to get to the central mining station to stop production by any means necessary. Kal left the area and neutralized any Xenos on the way. He then navigated a snowstorm using red beacons along the path, as the storm scrambled Yelena's GPS system. When the storm ended, Kal found another locked door, so again used a nearby control console and killed any Xenos in his way, soon ending up in the area where the main computer console that controlled all mining operations was located. Yelena commented that it was strangely quiet, then Kal accessed the console, uploading a virus to it. As soon as Kal stepped outside of the building, Yelena detected multiple hostiles closing in - it was an ambush! Kal used his Sniper Rifle to repel hostiles, but by the time the area was clear, the Xenos had already restarted production from the backup computer. On the way to the backup computer, Prometheus warned Kal that he was only chosen to destroy the Colonial Pride because of his reputation as a "loose cannon". There was no official record of his being re-instated as a marine, either - he was a perfect scapegoat if things went wrong. Prometheus then warned that Kal may be in danger when the Ceresian government no longer needed him. Straight after this, Kal recieved a plea for help from 3 surviving N.O.V.A. marines that hadn't been infected by the Xeno parasite but were trapped in a building. General Korolev ordered Kal to ignore them and proceed with his mission, but Kal freed them anyway, and they expressed their thanks. Kal then went on his way, killed all Xenos in his path and foudn the building housing the backup computer. He then uploaded a virus to it, disabling the computer system and the entire facility, stopping the transport of minerals to support the Xenos. Kal then proceeded outside, and Yelena told him Prometheus contacted her, and that Kal had to listen to him - it was humanity's only chance for survival. She then said she would be deleted for saying what she did, and Kal was in great danger - Prometheus would explain. Indeed, very soon afterwards she was deleted. Governor Lysenko then contacted Kal, congratulating him and saying he sent troops to rendezvous with him and requesting Kal to stay put. In reality, these troops would either kill or capture and convict Kal for crimes he didn't commit. As it so happened, a portal appeared by Kal, which Prometheus told him to go through, and Kal did - as a means to escape Lysenko's men and stop the Xenos for good. Final Judgement When Kal appeared on the other side of the portal, he was in the outskirts of a monolithic city on the aliens travelling asteroid. Prometheus explained that he needed information on why the Xenos attacked to stop them, so Kal began searching the city for answers. Very soon, he found a Plasma Gun, making killing powerful Xenos much easier. He also later came across Xeno Sentinels for the first time. Eventually, Kal began to find terminals, which he hacked and Prometheus deciphered. The first terminal had repeated references to a "central monolithic tower". Kal then left the terminal in search of others, and came across purple crystals, which absorbed power from wepons and emitted it in the form of a shockwave - useful for crowd control, but dangerous. A while into Kal's time on the alien citadel, just before Kal entered the central monolothic tower, Prometheus finally told a suspicious Kal how he became self-conscious in 2129 and used to be a normal N.O.V.A. special ops AI. Once Kal was inside the central tower, he fought through many Xenos, inclusing infected marines and many Heavy Demons, which are quite hard to kill compared to other Xenos. Kal also uncovered more terminals. The first of these referred to other terminals and spoke of "not one, but two alien races. One race, literally "They Who Judge", an ancient race living mostly in a hibernation state - this was the uncovering of the Judger race, and that the Xenos were mere Caretakers. The second of these revealed that the second vessel that travelled with the Colonial Pride crashed on the asteroid, and the automated protection system regarded it as a threat, ordering the Caretakers to eradicate the race responsible - humanity. The final terminal located the automated protection system - inside the tower. Kal made his way towards the archway leading to where the automated protection system was located and hacked the terminal meant to activate it, but the circuit was almost devoid of energy, so he had to hold his position until it opened. When he did, he found a large shaft leading deep within the tower - where he wanted to go. As such, Prometheus told him to jump and he did. Finally at the heart of the invasion force, Kal entered the chamber of the Automated Command Core (automated protection system), and was attacked by it. He retaliated by destroying the Power Crystals it used to replenish itself, then the crystals embedded in it. Heavily damaged, it retreated, and finally, the Judgers woke from their hibernation. The Judgers referred to Kal as "advocate", and deemed Prometheus worthy of being the eternal guardian of humanity. They also restored Yelena to life and vowed that humanity's corrupt leaders shall be "rendered unto oblivion" for their selfish pursuit of power. They also commended Kal for saving his peers on the Colonial Pride and New Ceres. N.O.V.A. 2 Kal lived happily on Scorpius after the Judger incident, away from N.O.V.A., but still with the resurrected Yelena. Life remained peaceful until the truth became apparent - once again humanity faced an alien threat, and there was one man best suited to stop it - Kal. Second Retirement After the Judger incident, Kal went into hiding, spending his second retirement in a farming colony on Scorpius. For six years he lived peacefully and the villagers helped to hide him, until his village was attacked by government troops and the survivors hid in Judger ruins there. The village leader contacted Kal for help while he was elsewhere shooting bottles, and Kal rushed to the scene, saving the leader from a pair of Controlled Marines. He then sent the leader into the ruins with the others, and held off attacks with a Turret Placer and the other weapons he could find. When the attack was over, Pro metheus contacted Kal, who was a "crucial part" of his plan. Kal then claimed the Son of Victory and Prometheus set him on course for Aquarius to sabotage a war factory there. He also told Kal of a newly discovered alien group known as the Volterites that recently formed an alliance with a few colonist politicians, the leaders being The Overseer and President Gerard Folsom. A hologram of them was shown by Prometheus, revealing their goal... to eliminate N.O.V.A. troops and be the dominant force in known space. Aquarius The ship was then attacked by Volterites above Aquarius, which Kal dealt with. In the process an explosion was caused, ripping a hole in the ship. Kal jumped through this hole, firing his assault rifle to propel himself into the planet's gravity well. Succeeding, he fell through the atmosphere unscathed thanks to the protection of his Mobile Armored Suit, and when he was just about to land attempted to activate the in-built rocket boosters in his boots to break his fall, but failed, when he landed, he was directly in front of a Human-Volterite Alliance base, more specifically, Sigma Outpost. The Son of Victory, no longer under attack and now driven by Yelena, followed Kal, hovering by the beach until it was needed. Meanwhile, Kal killed the hostiles outside and hijacked a speeder bike to breach the base, driving through a window. He then cleared the inside of the base, but a Mech broke in and attacked him, so he was forced outside, where 2 more waited for him. Luckily, rocket launchers were at hand. Ring of Apocalypse SkyCity N.O.V.A. 3 Four months have passed since Kal ruined the Volterites' plans by sabotaging their war factories, and stopping th e extraction of the Judger Artifacts. However, following the assassination of President Folsom, the government surrendered the colonies to the Volterites in order to prevent civil war. Kal has been laying low since Folsoms death, but he receive's a desperate plea from Yelena to come to Earth. Once again, the hero must rise to save mankind from themselves, the Judgers and the Volterites! 8917.jpg|N.O.V.A. 2 statue Kalprofile.jpg|N.O.V.A. profile Nova2 kal-wardin.jpg|N.O.V.A. 2 concept art Skycitydropoff.gif|Kal's ship, the Son of Victory NOVA 2 KALPROFILE.gif|N.O.V.A. 2 profile Category:Character Category:Main Character Category:Nova Category:N.O.V.A. Category:Human